RINI

A purveyor of slow and sensual R&B, Rini rose to success at the end of the 2010s with heavily streamed hits like "My Favourite Clothes" and "Meet Me in Amsterdam." The Filipino-born singer/songwriter began his career in Melbourne, then later moved to Los Angeles after his career began to take off. He made his full-length debut in 2021 with the Warner-issued Constellations, followed a year later by the Ultraviolet EP. Singles like "My Luv" and "Miracle" paved the way for his next EP, 2024's Lucky 7.

Rini was born Justerini Sandoval in the late '90s, and his earliest musical memories came from his parents' CD collection, which encompassed everything from the R&B of Michael Jackson to the rock of Bon Jovi. His father was often away at sea and collected instruments on his travels, resulting in Sandoval having a guitar of his own on which he learned his first chords. At the age of ten he moved with family to Melbourne and soon become part of a local church community. Bandmates there taught him how to play keyboards, bass, and drums. Before long, Rini was uploading heartfelt covers of R&B chart hits online, and by the age of 17 was writing his own material.

2016 brought "Wasted," a collaboration with Vince Valentino, one of Rini's first official releases. By the middle of the following year, he self-released an eponymous debut EP, based on spare beats created by friends. The release drew interest from Warner Music, which licensed many of his subsequent single releases, including the characteristically calm "Emerald." 2018's "For the Last Time" -- performed with the Korean artist Snaggle Owky -- was one of many singles that he released that year, but it was on October's After the Sun EP that Rini more fully developed his sound. Following 2019's dreamy, Rhodes-drenched "Feels Natural," with fellow Melburnian Agung Mango, Rini moved to Los Angeles, California, an R&B hub in comparison to southeastern Australia. This coincided with Warner putting their full support behind the promotion of his first full-length project, Constellations, which ultimately arrived in October 2021. The album boasted several popular singles including "Out of the Blue" and "Red Lights," which featured a cameo from rapper Wale. 2022 brought the BEAM-assisted "Trust" and "Haunt Me," the latter of which later appeared on Rini's Ultraviolet EP. 2023's "My Luv" was a duet with Bibi Bourelly and he followed it in 2024 with solo cuts like "Miracle" and "Matter to You," two standouts from his Lucky 7 EP released later that year. ~ James Wilkinson, Rovi